Double-ended chalk and crayon holder



March 19, 1957 e. E. LUNDBERG, SR, ETAL 2,785,654

DOUBLE-ENDED CHALK AND CRAYON HOLDER Filed July 27, 1953 .m amcl/qj mm United States Patent DOUBLE-ENDED CHALK AND CRAYON HOLDER Gust E. Lundberg, Sr., and Gust E. Lundberg, Jr., Kewanee, Ill.

Application July 27, 1953, Serial No. 370,426

2 Claims. (Cl. 12013) Our invention relates to double-ended chalk and crayon holders for holding chalk for writing on blackboards and for holding crayons to be used in drawing or writing.

An object of our invent-ion is to provide a new and improved chalk and crayon holder which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is more convenient to use than the holders of the prior art.

Another object of our invention is to provide a new and improved chalk and crayon holder which may be readily made of either colored or clear plastic and which is adapted to hold for ready use different colored pieces of chalk or crayon.

Another object of our invention is to provide a new and improved chalk and crayon holder which is more attractive in appearance and is shaped to fit the hand more conveniently than existing holders.

Another object of our invention is to provide a new and improved chalk and crayon holder which grips the chalk or crayon more securely than existing holders.

Another object of our invention is to provide a new and improved chalk and crayon holder which is better adapted to carry and protect advertising material than existing holders.

Another object of our invention is to provide a new and improved chalk and crayon holder which is better adapted to protect the chalk or crayon and to preserve the operative qualities thereof.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an approximately full-sized elevational view of a double-ended chalk and crayon holder embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view and is taken on the line 22 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Our new and improved holder comprises oppositely disposed tapered clamping sections 10 and 12 secured to a centrally located band or annulus 14. Referring particularly to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the band 14 has enlarged bores 16 and 18 which respectively receive the adjacent ends of the clamping sections 10 and 12. A feature of our invention lies in the fact that the holder may readily be made of plastic materials, and when such materials are utilized the large ends of the clamping sections 10 and 12 can be dipped into a solvent and then inserted in the enlarged bores 16 and 18 and will become firmly cemented or attached to the band 14.

The clamping section 10 is provided with a plurality of slots 20 which divide the small end and middle portion of the clamping section into a plurality of flexible and resilient fingers 22. in the particular embodiment shown, four slots 20 are provided to form four flexible and resilient fingers and, while we have felt that this gives excellent results, other arrangements of slots and fingers may be utilized if desired.

The ends of the fingers 22 are bent laterally to form 2,785,654 Patented Mar. 19, 1957 "ice j flanges 24 which function as a retainer and limit stop for a coil spring 26 whose ends are joined to form an annulus. The curved portions 28 which connect the flanges 24 with the main portions of the fingers 22 provide a broad gripping surface for engaging a piece of chalk or crayon.

The clamping section 12 is similarly provided with slots fingers 22', flanges 24', an annular coil spring 26', and wide curved gripping portions 28. From an inspection of the right-hand end of Fig. 2, it will be readily apparent that these curved portions 28' give a firm grip over an appreciable extent of the length of a piece of chalk or crayon, such as indicated at 30. In this manner the chalk or crayon is held firmly against wobbling during the writing or drawing operation. Furthermore, this broad gripping surface prevents the fingers from cut ting into the sides of the chalk or crayon, and also promotes economy by permitting a piece of chalk or crayon to be used until it has been worn down to an extremely short piece.

In Fig. 2 the piece of chalk or crayon 30 is illustrated as being in writing or drawing position, Whereas a second piece of chalk or crayon 32 is shown as located in the holder in retracted or inoperative position. In such position the chalk or crayon is protected against injury and contamination by dirt or grease, while at the same time being readily available for shifting to operative position. While the pieces 30 and 32 may, if desired, be of the same material and color, an advantage of our double- .ended holder is that it will accommodate diiferent colored pieces of chalk or crayon so that the user has two different colors immediately available. While ordinarily both pieces 30 and 32 will be either chalk or crayon, in some instances it may be desirable to have a piece of crayon in one end of the holder and a piece of chalk in the other end.

As previously stated, the clamping sections 10 and 12 and connecting band 14 are preferably formed of plastic. This plastic may be clear and transparent so that a mere glance at the holder will show whether or not it contains chalk or crayon, and, if so, the respective colors of the two pieces. In some instances it may be desirable to make either or both clamping sections 10 and 12 of colored plastic, and where both are colored the colors may be the same or different, as desired, and the band 14 may be left clear or given any desired color.

Another feature of our invention permits its ready use as i a means of displaying advertising, and in some instances it may be desirable to make it up and distribute the holder as an advertising novelty. In Fig. 2 a strip 34 of paper or other suitable material is located in the central or smaller diameter portion of the band 14 and is aflixed to the band by an adhesive, or in any other suitable manner. This strip may carry advertising material or have any other indicia or information printed thereon which will be visible through the plastic material of the band 14, but will be protected by such band from coming in contact with the hand of the user or from otherwise becoming soiled, scratched, or otherwise impaired. Since it is much cheaper to print in colors on such a paper strip than on plastic material, this construction provides an inexpensive and extremely satisfactory method of displaying advertising and other informative material.

When the holder is not being used for writing or drawing, it is preferable to have the pieces of chalk or crayon in the retracted position like that of the piece 32. In this position the coil springs 26 and 26 contract the ends of the fingers 22 and 22' so that the openings at the ends of the holder are too small to permit passage therethrough of the chalk or crayon, and the pieces of chalk or crayon are retained in their retracted position for all positions of the holder. When it is desired to project one of the pieces 'of chalk or crayon to operative or writing position, the

. 3 end of the holder containing such piece is turned downwardly and the adjacent coil spring is rolled upwardly toward the band 14 by a thumb or finger. This permits gravity to draw the piece of chalk or crayon downwardly through the enlarged opening between the ends of the fingers. When the piece of chalk or crayon projects from the fingers the desired distance, the coil spring is released whereupon it immediately snaps back into'engagement with the flanges of its fingersand locks the piece of chalk or crayon in the desired position. In etfecting such movement of a piece of chalk or crayon from retracted to operative position, it is usually desirable to position a finger or other obstruction beneath the lowered end of the holder to stop downward movement of the chalk or crayon in the desired position, whereupon the coil spring is released to lock the chalk or crayon inthis position.

Because the coil. springs'will roll upwardly on the tapered clamping sections and 12,.slight'impe'rfections in either the spring or external surfaces of the sections will not interfere with movement of the spring, and there is very slight frictional resistance to such movement. No effort is needed to return the spring into engagement with its flanges since the spring quickly rolls down the tapered fingers and snaps intolocking' position in engagement with its retaining flanges.

This construction has the advantage of economical manufacture by making it unnecessary to provide the tapered clamping sections 10 and 12 with either exact dimensions or carefully finished external surfaces, such as are required where a conventional sleeve provides the clamping action.

Another feature of our invention lies in the ability of our novel holder to handle either cylindrical or tapered chalk or crayon, whereas, the holders of the prior art were adapted for use only with cylindrical chalk or crayon and could not handle tapered chalk or crayon. Furthermore, the short tapered sections of the holder are easy to mold and the outwardly directed flanges at the ends of the fingers reinforce the fingers and serve as guides to facilitate insertion of a piece of. chalk or crayon into the holder as well as functioning .as limit stops for the coil springs. The reverse arrangement of these tapered sections also causes the holder to fit the recess or hollow between the thumb and forefinger of the users hand more conveniently and securely thanwould a straight cylindrical holder, or a single-ended holder having a continuous taper from end to end.

The plastic material of which the holder is formed is non-corrosive andeasily kept clean. The springs are preferably of a non-rusting alloy .so that the holder is capable of lasting almost indefinitely. It is also substanthe dust which frequently results from the use of such material. This is particularly important in protecting the hands and clothing of school children, art students, and other extensive users. Furthermore, the holder protects the chalk or crayon from contact with sweaty, dirty, or greasy hands, and thus maintains unimpaired the writing qualities of the chalk or crayon. The holder is also designed to be conveniently carried in a pocket of the user without soiling the inside of the pocket.

While we have illustrated and described only a single embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that our invention is not limited to the precise details illustrated and described, but includes all modifications, varia: tions and equivalents coming within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim: 7

1. A holder of the class described comprising a clamping section having normally spaced fingers and adapted to hold a piece of chalk or crayon, an annular coil spring constituting a single coil of a diameter substantially less than the length of the clamping section and rollable along said fingers to confine or release said fingers, and laterally outwardly directed flanges at the ends of said fingers forming a limit stop for said spring.

2. In a holder of the class described, a tapered clamping section including a plurality of normally spaced fingers having curved end surfaces terminating in laterally out References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 101,457 Hall Apr. 5, 1870 325,959 Moses Sept. 8, 1895 1,508,170 DOlier Sept. '9, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS 73,940 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1916 Italy Feb. 8, 1948 

